Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

For this month's Taste and Create, I was assigned the blog "Columbus Foodie." Looking through the many delicious looking meals, I ended up deciding to make the Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake and bring it to Run-Girl-Run's graduation party this weekend.
This cheesecake is...delicious. Addictive. Heavenly. Decadent. WOW. Wow. My stomach is still thanking me for the 1/2 slice I had for breakfast. Just wow.
Don't be scared by the time it takes or the many steps. Each step is easy and the time can be broken up into smaller portions (I made the crust in the afternoon, went to class, made and baked the filling after dinner, "did homework", and topped the cake right before bed).
oven...hardened a little too much. Still tasty though. As for baking the filling, it was so hard to tell when it was done. I cooked mine about 58 minutes and I think it was perfect. the center was a little wobbly, but not liquidy. At the time, the miThe only parts I had trouble with were the baking parts. As I previously mentioned, my oven temp runs high, so I have to figure out the right time and temp separately. I set my oven to 325 for the crust and baked for 9 min. It was poofy and BUBBLING! I have never seen crust BUBBLE before. I figured it wasn't done and gave it another 2 min. It was still bubbling, but I figured it had to be done. I think I ended up over cooking it as it hardened out of theddle had risen (like there was a bubble in the middle) but it settled during cooling.Best part (besides the taste): Any cracks that form during baking get covered by hot fudge! Looks pretty even if you get tears!Oh, one last tip, don't worry about swirling the top layer. Since it gets covered with fudge, it doesn't matter.Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
Crust:
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
3/4 c. crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1/4 c. sugar
6 tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:
3/4 c. full-fat name brand creamy peanut butter
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. (8 oz) sour cream
1 c. sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. hot fudge ice cream topping, divided
6 full-size peanut butter cups, cut into small wedges (I used 11 miniatures. Cut small; you dont want to have large chunks)

In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs, cookie crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the side of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. In microwave-safe bowl, heat peanut butter on high for 30 seconds or until softened. Spread over crust to within 1 inch of edges.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed until just combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour 1 cup into a bowl; set aside. Pour reamining filling over peanut butter layer. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat 1/4 c. fudge topping on high for 30 seconds or until thin; fold into reserved cream cheese mixture. Carefully pour over filling; cut through with a knife to swirl (not needed).

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

Microwave remaining fudge topping for 30 seconds or until warmed; spread over cheesecake. Garnish with peanut butter cups. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan, and cut into 12 or 14 slices.